Because of you
by Paradise Pegasus
Summary: As the final battle between Torak and the Soul Eaters is nearer, Torak and Renn and their loyal wolf brother must use their own talents to defeat them. They will need the power of all clans to fulfill their wish. I suck in grammar in Chapter 1 because of some technical problems, but later on the following chapters are perfectly fine so don't worry, just read! :
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer:I'm not Michelle Paver and I do not own Chronicles of Ancient Darkness.

This story is a new version of 'Oath Breaker'.

Chapter 1

The last drop of sun vanished below the went red and orange,just like a little blushing lady,but the next moment it disappeared unwillingly

with the spreaded quietly,the sweet evening breeze swept over the clearing where a bonfire world was going to rest,while the other mischievous and cruel creatures,growling and struggling beneath it,waiting for a breaking point to attack.

Torak stared at the dimming sat beside Bale like a statue,speechless.

There was too much on his mind.A raven shrieked,fluttered its wings and flew away.

They were on a small bay of The Seal Island,and Torak and Bale were going to guard the the rumor of The Soul Eater had come to this place,the guarding was night were Torak and Bale's turn.

Bale pay no heed on either Torak or the was concentrated on his was cooking some scallops and shrimps for their after sometime,Bale sensed that Torak acted kept his mouth shut,knewing his kinsman was probably thinking of Wolf,his friend and hunting ate the food slowly.

The meal was waited,and finally broke the awkward silence.

'What is on your mind,my brother?'He asked.

Torak raised his head and didn't want to answer,because when he started talking about how he was worried about Wolf,Renn,Finn-Kendinn and Bale,he will definitely had a he didn't want to show impoliteness to his friend, he found his voice and managed to make a simple sentence.

'I miss Wolf.'Torak was real;he yearned for a sight of the face that he always longed to see,yearned for a touch of his fur,yearned for rolling up with him to a ball on the Wolf was not the only thing he thought about,and he didn't have the courage to split out the others.

Bale nodded,although he was not so satisfied with his ,Bale noticed that Torak looked _strange_.He became quiet,and Bale felt like he was avoiding people-not all people at all,but usually him,Renn, time he laid eyes on Torak,he was his eyes,Bale could see nothing but worrit,sadness and-this really frightened him-_despair_._Torak kept didn't want us to know,_ Bale couldn't see the Torak that he was familiar with,instead,he saw a pessimistic,sorrow burden on his shoulders was too heavy and felt a bit pity for Torak,and if he could,he would do anything to help him.

Now was Bale's turn to stared at the had his own thought,he wanted to share it with Torak and asked his opinion about it,right now,but he didn't know how to was sure that it will become another problem for Torak to face.

Bale took a deep breath, and looked at Torak with pleading opened his mouth to say something,but then hesitated,and swallowed it back,then shrugged.

'What's that,Bale?'Torak was puzzled because Bale seldom looked nervous.

'Look,Torak,I…I don't mean to hurt you but I just…I just…'Bale stammered,tried to change the subject.'You can just speak out loud,Bale.I'm your friend,right?You can tell me anything!'Torak was quite uneasy now.

'When all the things is over,I would like to ask Renn if she is willing to stay with me,ur…well…be my mate.'Bale said voice was looked at Torak,then gasped.

Torak became 's word echoed and echoed in his mind,like a thunder in a sunny day._When all the things is over,I would like to ask Renn if she is willing to stay with me,ur…well…be my mate._Be his mate._Be Bale's mate._How could this ever happened?A horrible picture formed:Renn,looking amazingly beautiful in the blue bridal clothes,embraced by Bale,the Seal Clan boy,and people cheered and clapped and they gave the best wishes to the couples,and the lovebirds walked to their new shelter and Torak could never see her again…

'No!'He shouted and bounced couldn't stand he couldn't stand for just think about it,how could he stand if this really happen?No,no,he just simply _couldn't_ let this thing ,Torak thought of her.

Bale looked disappointed,but he knew already known Torak and Renn's relationship,he just wanted to try.'I see,'he said quietly,his voice was calmer than he expected,' you love her,right?'Torak didn't know how to what Bale said was real.'I'm pretty sure we love the same girl,Bale.'He said both fought the urge to storm out the bay and sprinted back to the campsite.

'Let her choose,'said face was emotionless.

Torak that,the companions ended up the conversation and began their duty.

It was almost whole clan was asleep-except time she tried to close her eyes,the mystery shadow of a huge man crept into her mind.

He spoke to Renn,using a deep and powerful voise that would absolutely haunted repeated and repeated a phrase,just like a spell,a spell casted by a terrible mage-no,a _devil_._The Spirit Walker must die,The Fire Opal must be Spirit Walker must die,The Fire Opal must be Spirit Walker must die,The Fire Opal must be mine…_with that,he laughed hysterically and Renn screamed loudly and woke up.'Nightmare,'she murmured.A ripple ran down her spine._Good_,she thought resentfully,_that Thazzi didn't even let me sleep._ But when she thought of the oak clan mage's name,she felt cold suddenly and shuddered.

_Thazzi_.She remembered the cruel face,the hand with only three fingers,and how he_ tormented_ Torak-Torak,Renn thought of the last battle with Thazzi and Eostra was coming,he looked like that he forgot her couldn't see the wolfish grin that she liked the most,he was depressed and sad all the wanted to tell him that how much she care about him and-and-how much he meant to her._Couldn't you see that,Torak?_ Renn's heart was bleeding,tears prickled in her eyes,_couldn't you see that I'll always by your side?_

'Please,Torak,tell me what happen…'Renn muttered prayed to The …

Someone was hearing.

'You know his fate,Renn.'a voice said.

Renn spun she already knew who it was.

'Don't waste your time,girl,'Saeunn spoke slowly,her voice was as calm as the surface of a lake.'The flames will never lie.'Renn guessed the raven clan mage didn't sleep at all because she sat still in her sleeping sack,her twinkled and shrewd eyes fixed at her.

Anger gradually rose and filled Renn's didn't believe in fortunes or blessings or prophecies or any other stuff,she just believe in herself.'No!'She shouted,

half because of rage but half because of frightened.'I won't give up,never!You say Torak will die,right?And I'll show you that you and your stupid flames are wrong!I'll help Torak with all my heart and I won't let him die…'she cried and fell on the ground.'I won't let him leave me.'She said,a single tear dropped felt a pair of strong arms wrapped ,Renn began to had never cried before-at least,never cried in front of this time,she couldn't bear felt so tiny and weak.

Saeunn smoothed Renn's hair,and let her cried.'I can't do it…I can't…'_Poor Renn_,Saeunn thought bitterly._When could she understand?_

Slowly,Saeunn unreasonable,Renn felt comfortable by hearing Saeunn's voice,she was whole again and stopped old raven clan mage's word was like a lullaby,made her relax in Saeunn's chest and listen to her.'I know you are as brave and clever as a flying raven,my child,but sometimes,nature is the ruler.'

She said quietly,almost whispering.'Nobody knows when will the raven shooted by an great nature decide was born with a _duty_ or a quest that was given by The World Spirit,for example,You, Renn,'She looked straight into her eyes,

'your life goal is be a hunter or a mage,'Saeunn paused,then continued,'and Torak,he was made to defeat The Soul Eater.'Renn frowned,and said,'so I'm going to help him!'

Saeunn shaked her head,'No,Renn,I haven't ,Torak may win the battle,but no one knows whether he may survive or was cruel sometimes,it smashs the world's enemy into dust,but the consequence is someone you the nature have chosen Torak's fate,'Saeunn stared at Renn,'you are not be able to change it.'

Renn said couldn't speak,think or ,she let out a simple but no one could give the answer's question,'Why must be_ him_?Why?'She looked at lips twisted into a sorrow smile.'Just let him go, this is the path Torak must go to,then just let him if he dies?What if he never come back?This thing is not as simple as you think,Renn!If you go with him,you become a new target for Thazzi and Eostra because when someone try to rescue The Spirit Walker,he or she must know it.I know it,too.'Yes,Renn knew it but she didn't know how to choose between love and family.

'Think of of of all the raven clan can they survive without you,Renn?'Saeunn said.

For the first time,Renn was a selfish girl at all,blinded because of could imagine what will happen if she left the world:people drop tears,

Saeunn couldn't be the mage anymore because of sadness,and Finn-Kendinn,he loved Renn so much that he suffered from pain everyday…the raven clan will perish because of her.

Finally,she made her thought of Torak one last time,and opened her heart to let him flew her mind was emptied.

'I let him go.'said Renn.

Do you like it?I try my best to write and I'm really sorry about all the grammatical

mistake but actually,hope you like it!

Tell me your opinion,please!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I'm not Michelle Paver. I do not own the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series.

_OK, I know I have not updated my fic for a long time, and I'm really sorry about that. Nevertheless, I decided that I should pick up the storylines again because one thing should be ended properly when you started it. I didn't forget this fiction, just that I need some time to think whether I should continue with it or not. Please read and comment. Every single opinion is welcomed. By the way, I remember someone said last time plenty of words were missing in Chapter 1? Well, I fixed it and now the following chapters are no longer choppy. Thanks a lot!_

**Chapter Two**

The moonless night was like a smooth silky piece of scarf, gently covering the earth and the lives living on it. Slowly the dark blue began to faint, gradually replaced by the dim light of dawn. The air changed; they flowed swiftly and shuddered, welcoming the newborn sun to shine on the world. Yet the oceans and seas were dead, not wanting to be evaporated by the scorching heat that would soon cast on them. Only the trees were wide awake. They had witnessed the deaths and lives of the sun for centuries that they got used to it. They stood in mere silence and dignity, because they were the hearts of forests.

Curling up tightly, his muzzle burying in his tail, was Wolf. All of a sudden he jumped to his paws, stretched his hind legs and wagged his tail. His internal alarm had been tingling. A stink bug waded past Wolf. He tried to stomp it, but this kind of insects crawled fast. Otherwise they had extinct a lot earlier. Wolf jogged into the opening and scanned the surrounding.

There were few shrubberies here, but after all bushes were bushes. It provided the only shelter for Wolf in this coastal area. Preys were scarce; but Wolf managed to feed himself with abalones and mollusks. They tasted not as good as caribous, but Wolf could rely on nothing edible except them. Sooner or later he would have to give up waiting for Tall Tailless and the Raven wolves, because a forest predator like him could not survive long if staying near the sea. Wolf was standing on a beach, but a rather rocky one, the pebbles were making his paws itchy. The ocean laid still about ten meters away. The wind brought a faint scent of the Seal people living beyond the sea, and the smell of those dried cods and mackerels. Wolf sniffed the air, but could not catch the scent of Tall Tailless and Pack Sister. He felt frustrated, and he ran in circle until his emotions had settled down. He had a severe homesick right now, and he would give up anything in order to go back to the forest. But deep in Wolf's heart, he knew that without Tall Tailless, his loyal wolf brother by his side, going back to the forest was useless. They couldn't be separated originally-until Wolf had arrived to this beach and was too scared to get in that floating skin and sailed away with the others. Sometimes he really hated his weakness. He hated himself, for he didn't have the courage and spirit of a male wolf, to overcome the weakness. Wolf had tried, several times, to walk into the shallow water, but usually his fear manipulated his brain and he would stumble ashore. He did succeed once, only once-but that soon turned out to be meaningless because he still had to learn how to swim in salt water so to get to the other side of the sea. Wolf was fine with fresh water and streams in the forests, but not the oceans which carried a pungent smell of salt.

The sun eventually poked out of the horizon. The glorious sunshine and heat poured into Wolf's body. The earth gave out a deep sigh of contentment as the sun warmed her up after a night of cool wind, the sparrows tweeted a joyful hymn to praise the golden light of the sun. Even Wolf himself spent a few seconds staring at the morning sky, because the sun gave him life. No one could survive without warmth, and whenever the sun rose, Wolf felt animated and hopeful. The sun represented the heat, light, the great creation of the World Spirit, and most probably, hope itself. Wolf knew when the sun rose out of the horizon, it marked the beginning of a brand new day. And today, many posibilities and adventures were waiting for him to discover. The sun never disappointed the world; from the day of its birth, it had made a promise: it would die in the evening, but it shall rise again from the abyss of darkness and shine on the many lives of this world in the morning. This was the way of life, an endless cycle of sacrifices and reborns. And that was why people had hope in their hearts when they saw the sun. It was because they knew, that the sun rose to shine for _them_.

Wolf usually did not howl in the morning, but he did this anyway. He just felt like this. He wanted to howl, because it was the World Spirit who granted him this ability. And he used it to reward the creator of the world, by howling the song of the happiness of being a noble wolf. Wolf felt great. He bounced up and down, rolled in the mud and finally laid down to rest. He felt pure energy exploding in his every muscle. Two noisy ravens landed on one branch of a tree. At first Wolf ignored the bird's cooing, but then he found something was weird. Rip and Rek stood like a pair of petrified sculptures, but they tweeted warnings. _Danger!_ They said. Wolf could feel their anxiety and fear through the tone of their tweets and the way they flapped their wings quickly. He rose, but then laid down again. He flattened himself, his belly touching the rough ground, and let the thick bushes hid him. He smelled the scent of burning. Beyond the sea, something red and orange were in between the camps of the Seal Clan, but Wolf could almost sure that was not the blinding sunlight. It was something _else_. Then Wolf caught a vague sight of a shadow which was crossing the sea. It came from the west. Wolf immediately stuck to the ground tightly. He could be easily spotted if that thing had an eagle's eyesight.

It was a huge, tall man, rowing a floating skin boat like the one Wolf had seen his wolf brother used to cross the sea. As he came near, Wolf shivered in terror. That man was wearing a dark green cloak with some strange feathers decoration, and he wore a necklace which was made up of some beads. And his scent-his scent-carried the smell of smoke...and burning. That was the part that made Wolf feel scared. Burning was not good. Wolf saw the man holding his oars firmly and the floating skin stranded on the ground. Then Wolf recognised the scar on his hand, the hand which only had three fingers. Wolf felt like as if someone had just punched him on his face. The man with three fingers! He remembered clearly he had once bit off his fingers a year ago when he was in the very North. Now Wolf wished to everything, that he would not be discovered by this horrible creature. He couldn't help but whimpered. Bad memories flowed into his mind. The man walked with a steady pace, and he stopped beside a tree and looked around. Luckily, the ravens distracted his attention. Rip and Rek flew down the tree and picked out a leaf from the mud. They used their beaks to examine it, and Rip picked it up and flew back to the branches. It was pretending to build a nest. Rek followed its companion, and, as if hearing a funny joke, tweeted the high-pitched laugh of a raven. Wolf laid still. He watched as the man strolled away, disappearing into the dark shades of the forest. But even though the man had gone, Wolf could still smell the rotten scent of the leaves and the scent of charred leathers on that man's body.

Wolf rose slowly after the man had gone for sometime. He sniffed the air, and it brought back messages of trouble on the Island of Seal. Wolf's instinct told him that the burning was related to the man with evil spirit. Wolf trotted to the seaside. He stared at the calm blue surface of the sea, hesitating of what to do next. Then he realized there was no time to waste. He whimpered sorrowfully.

He would have to cross the _entire sea_ to reach and rescue Tall Tailless.

...

Torak woke up suddenly. He thought he had heard Wolf's howling-but was that true? He was half-conscious when he heard people shouting and hollering, and the rumbling of footsteps. He was, essentially, sleeping in the tent with Bale-but he was nowhere to be found when Torak called his name. Apparently he had left the shelter, and even took his-Torak couldn't believe his eyes-took his _bucket_ with him. But what for? Torak was both curious and worried. He had not figured out what was happaning-until he saw the shocking red light gleaming outside the tent. He couldn't breathe easily, as if the oxygen had been pumped out of the shelter. Black smoke started to rush into his refuge, contaminating every cells in Torak's body. Coughing and panting, Torak grabbed his own bucket and towel, as well as a dagger, with him, and walked out of the tent.

Fire. Almost the whole camp was awoke by the great noise-fire roaring, trees falling, people shouting and running. The Seal camp was on fire. Torak was still quite sleepy, but from what he could see, the origin of the fire was on the eastern part of the camp. He saw many young men rushing to the seashore to get buckets and buckets of water back to the campsite to pull out the fire. Torak follwed them undoubtly. 'Torak!' Bale's voice rose out of the crowd noise. 'Pull out the flames around the center part of the campsite first! Don't let them spread any further! We'll handle the starting fire!' Torak's senses were too numb to answer. But he filled his bucket with water and shouted back, 'Be careful!' he led three boys to rescue the center camps. In the total chaos, he sometimes caught glimpses of the redhead Ravens-the tall solemn figure of Finn-Kedinn, and the slenderer and shorter one-Renn. He wanted to join and protect them, but right now he had to focus on his own task. The western part of the camp seemed to be safe, but the flames threatened to destroy there also. Torak had problems with his eyes-tears kept forming in his eyes and blurred his sight. He tried to rely on his ears, but they received only shouts and screams from the panick group. At last his troop managed to splash water onto the flames. Sometimes the fire shot high in the sky, and all of them stumble backward to avoid catching fire. Torak's bare arms were full of burns caused by sparks and smoke. He saw a young kid of the Seal Clan laid still on the ground, his mother crying helplessly beside him. But Torak could see movements in his chest. He had to stop the fire from spreading so as to ensure the safety of the rest of the people. Suddenly a loud yelp pulled him back into the reality. He stared in horror that one of the teammates in his group was hurt. His left leg was seriously injured.

'Stay calm! Move him gently to the nursery in the western camps! There are people who can help him.' Torak shouted to two boys who quickly obeyed his command. With the help of the other Seal Clan members, Torak spent almost an hour to control and pull out the fire successfully. On the other hand, Bale had led his kinsmen to pull out the fire on the eastern side of the camp. The disaster was over. The first ray of sun shone on them. By the time the fire was pulled out, the dawn broke. Torak hadn't realize the time until this moment. Fortunately the fire broke out at dawn when people were began to get up. If it happened in the middle of the night when everybody was unconscious, there would be more killings and injuries. Torak dropped his bucket and ran around the camp. 'Bale! Finn-Kedinn! Renn!' he hollered while jogging to the very first place where the fire was broken. 'Torak!' it was Renn who answered his call. He saw her carrying a little girl and her older brother-both not older than eight-to the temporary nursery. Seeing Renn being safe, Torak let out a deep sigh of relieve. 'Thank the Guardians you are safe, Renn!' he said, still panting like a cow. 'Yes, and I'm glad you don't get hurt,' she replied. Torak sensed her fear and uneasiness. A flash of pain existed in her eyes. 'What? What happened?' he asked, his voice soften. Renn looked at him with such concern and care, but she quickly masked her emotions. She looked away. 'You better go to find Bale and Finn-Kedinn. They are discussing the cause of this fire in your tent.' she was ready to go when Torak asked, 'Wait! Just a second, Renn. Where are you going then?' 'To the nursery. I need to take care of the patients with the Seal Clan Mage.' she avoid his gaze. 'Why are you acting like this, Renn? It doesn't like...you.' he paused, and then suddenly recalled the memory of Bale, saying that he would like to ask Renn to be his mate, a few days ago. He felt chilly, his voice trembled and dry when he opened his mouth. 'Does he ask you...' he was cut off soon after he had spoken. 'I think this is not the suitable time to talk, Torak. Later. I promise you, later we'll talk and try to...figure things out.' with that, she walked away with the two kids. Torak didn't like the tone of Renn when she was speaking, and he really worried about her. Nevertheless, he went to see the Raven Clan leader after he had talked to Renn.

When he reached his tent, he moaned. The leathers and kelp had benn burnt out, but the supporting tree trunk and branches seemed to be good. The whole 'tent' was basically a place where few sleeping bags remained, and the roof would most probably fell down and crashed on them at any time. He crept into his sleeping bag and found his bow and a quiver of arrows, and his pack of medicine and herbs. But he couldn't find his axe, which was a pity. Fortunately his father's knife had benn kept in good condition, and Torak tied it to his belt. He sat down next to Bale and listened to their discussion. 'Whoever it is to start a fire, he or she has left no trail to let us track him.' it was Finn-Kedinn who spoke and broke the awkward silence. Noticing Torak's presence, he nodded to him. 'But we do find something weird in the campsite. First of all, the guarding dogs have been slaughtered into bits and pieces. We found their dead bodies some minutes ago. This explains why there aren't dogs' barking to warn us about the attacker and the fire. Secondly, some hunters report that they find some burnt mistletoe, oak tree nuts and amber in the ash when the fire has been pulled out. Shreds of reindeer skin were also found. These materials were believed to be the cause of the fire.' when the Raven Clan leader had finished, Torak shivered because he knew who it was. The mistletoe, the reindeer skin, and most probably, the feathers and skins of different hunters of the forest: the hawk, weasel, otter, boar...he knew this person too well. 'But this isn't possible!' the Seal Clan leader protested, 'the Seal Island belongs to the Ocean. The overall humidity is very high and the woods were wet because of the water! How come this nameless attacker can start a fire by litting up the drift wood? It isn't possible, right?' the group fell in silence. The Seal Clan leader had his points. Torak spluttered, 'he is the controller of fire, Finn-Kedinn. It must be him. I swear there is a handprint out there somewhere which only shows three fingers. No doubt he would come here for searching the Fire Opal-it should be vanished with him, too.' he looked at his foster father. He frowned, and that proved Torak's thought. He was right about the Soul Eater. 'Torak has spoken the truth to everyone. The Fire Opal was stolen by, most probably this mysterious attacker. The altar uphill was damaged.' he did not mention the Soul Eater and Torak knew they would talk about this thorny issue later. He didn't want to bother the Seal Clan.

But Bale was resentful. 'I don't care about this anonymous person. He destroyed my homeland, and I am determined to destroy his as a revenge.' 'No, Bale! He is way too powerful and you can't stop him on your own!' 'I must do something!' 'I know! But you are not thinking clearly, my friend-' 'I don't care about the consequences, Torak! Even if I have to sacrifice myself to take avenge and kill this attacker, I will.' they both stopped argueing. Torak knew this was no joking. Bale would really succumb himself to defend the honor of his clan. Again, it's Finn-Kedinn who broke the silence. 'Be calm, Bale. We all feel angry about this tragedy, but we have to cooperate in order to find out this anonymous attacker. Now our mission is to cure the injured people and rebuild the campsite. Everybody, please check out whether your own properties were damaged. Torak, you and Bale should keep track of the attacker and rearrange the schedule of guarding the Seal Island overnight. The Seal Clan leader and I shall discuss and propose a plan of what to do next. If no problem, back to your own duties, my fellow teammates. Remember, don't act recklessly until we have figure things out completely. Dismiss.' with that, Finn-Kedinn and the Seal Clan leader left the tent. Torak wanted to go after him, but Bale called him and stopped him from doing that. 'Torak, you know I will go and find that person sooner or later, so why don't you let me go now? The longer we stay on the island, the farther he will get away and more difficult to hunt him!' Torak turned mute. He was struggling whether to tell Bale who the true murderer was. 'I...Bale, this killer is...different from the others. He...is cruel and cunning, and no one can ever predict what he'll do in the next minute.' 'Tell me his name, Torak. If you are my friend and kinsman, please, tell me.' 'I...' 'I promise I'll not go and hunt him on my own.' Torak hesitated. Bale was the person whom he could trust most beside Finn-Kedinn and Renn. Moreover, he had to know this before the hunt began. He lowered his voice and whispered, 'He is one of the remaining Soul Eaters. He belongs to the Oak Clan, which has perished already. His personality is, like other Soul Eaters, wild and unpredictable. From what I can tell, he seems to be immuned on fire-that means, he can step in and out of the fire without getting burnt. He is the one who controls the fire.' Bale's face turned to pale white. 'Soul Eaters...like the viper clan mage whom we killed?' 'Yes, exactly. But now he is charging, and he wants to use the Fire Opal to summon the dead spirit and invade the world. We must find some ways to defeat him.' 'What is his name?'

Torak said, his voice filled with pure hatred, '_Thazzi_.'

...

When Torak finished the conversation with Bale, he strolled in the camp aimlessly. Bale had promised him he would wait and see what Finn-Kedinn and the clan plan to do next, and when it's time to hunt Thazzi, Torak was invited to join the hunt. In fact, killing the Soul Eaters was his mission. He was born to be a Spirit Walker and to destroy the power of the Soul Eaters. He decided to go and find Renn when Wolf suddenly jumped out from somewhere and knocked him down on the ground.

Wolf was wet from head to toe, and Torak was almost sure that he had swam all the way to come to the Seal Island, which was pretty amazing and shocking. Wolf didn't like the smell of the sea water, but he must have feel that something was wrong on the island, and pick up all his courage to cross the sea to rescue his wolf brother. The loyalty of Wolf made Torak closely to tears. He was extremely happy and astonished to see Wolf that he couldn't help but grinned like crazy. He knew the laugh of human sounded weird in wolves' ears. They rolled in the mud together, rubbed their bodies and exchanged scents, and Wolf licked his cheek and Torak smoothed his fur. He took a deep breathe, breathing in the faint woodsy scent of Wolf (although the aroma was basically washed off by the ocean), and relaxed. Nothing was better than reunite with his wolf brother. Suddenly, he forgot all about the challenges that laid in front of him.

_Why do you come? Aren't you afraid of the wet-running-very-fast? _Torak asked Wolf.

_Bad scents. Burning. Glowing-hot-thing. _Wolf replied, flipping his ears back and forth.

So Wolf did know about the fire. Nevertheless, he told Wolf about the fire happening in the Seal camp in detail. Wolf said nothing at first, but he asked about the Pack Sister and the Raven wolves later. Torak said they were fine.

_The Bited-One, crossing the wet-running-very-fast._ Wolf said suddenly. It got Torak on the nerves. Wolf saw Thazzi crossing the sea! He asked when, and Wolf said 'Light'. That meant at dawn. It matched with the time when the fire started. Torak frowned. Thinking about Thazzi made him had a headache. Wolf sensed his sadness and laid down beside him. He used his presence to comfort Torak. He would bear the same burden that laid on Torak's shoulders, because they were brothers. They sat like this for some time.

The horn blew to announce lunchtime. Torak got to his feet and told Wolf to stay around the camp but don't go inside. He quickly vanished in the wood. Torak walked back to the camp slowly. It's time, to talk to Renn about the matter and the discovery of Wolf.

...

_What do you think? Please read and comment! Thank you~ by Paradise Pegasus_


	3. Chapter 3-Mostly it was bittersweet

Disclaimer: I 'm not Michelle Paver and I do not own the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness.

_A big apology to you! I'm a poor time manager and once the exam is here I kind of mess my schedule up, since my mind is so preoccupied by revision plans and homework and stuff. But no matter what, the third chapter is here, enjoy~_

**Chapter Three**

Again, Renn ended up sitting on her sleeping bag at night, trying to figure out this mess and problems which lay before her. This situation had continued for several nights, so Renn had probably gained less than six hours sleep these days. She felt tired, but she couldn't sleep properly. Her brain and spirit refused to rest until she had solved this mystery. In the tent there were at least two dozens women and girls, all sleeping and snorting soundly around Renn. Two or three girls had to share a same sleeping bag, and some women leant against the wall and curved their bodies because space was less. Some even didn't have sleeping bags or blankets or something that could protect them from the freezing cold overnight. They simply lay on the floor and crowded together to trap their body heat. Renn's place was at the corner of the tent, which was lucky. She could slip away easily without being noticed. Especially now.

She put on her jerkin, cloak and boots, took her knife with her and ran out to the cold. The silvery moonlight shone overhead like a million little stars. Renn looked at the moon thoughtfully. She used to adore it very much when she was young, but now she had grown up, the moon seemed less attractive to her. Nonetheless, it was still a pleasure to see it during the long lonely night when Renn was sleepless. The moon gave her comfort and energy to face the darkness, and that's why she could walk on the coast of the Seal Island in the middle of the night. The Seal Clan encampment was basically ruined, and the members had to crawl into unbelievably small temporary shelters to get a night's sleep after the fire. The bad pungent smell of smoke still bothered Renn's nose, so she strolled further away from the campsite and hoped the gentle sea breeze could wash away the scent. She hoped also, that the wind could blow away her anxiety and the problems she needed to tackle.

For exactly two weeks she stayed on the Seal Island with Torak and Finn-Kedinn, the three of them held their own mission. Torak for visiting his kinsman-Bale, Finn-Kedinn for building friendship with the sea people, and Renn for entertainment purpose only-originally. But after the great fire, things had become more complicated. All the evidence-the mistletoe and amber-like beads, the reindeer skin shreds, and the newly-discovered handprint with three fingers, pointed to one thing. The dark power of the remaining Soul Eaters had spread to the sea. Renn as a raven clan mage-to-be, she had to help the Seal Clan Mage curing the injuries and tracking the real killer. She had gifts in magecraft, of couse, but she didn't like it. She was active and curious about everything, so she'd rather went to the deep forest and hunt preys than sitting in front of an altar, using the flames to predict what would happen next. She was born to be a huntress, she belonged to the forest. But now the reality hit her strongly, she must not escape from her talent anymore. It's clear that the Seal Clan needed her. She struggled to choose between the two: hunting which was her interest, and magecraft her talent and responsibility. She knew curing the sickness and predicting the future was right for the whole clan, but her heart yearned for the green forest. She just wanted to be _free_, a free woman in this world. Could it be possible that she could handle both things at the same time? Suddenly a shrewd voice whispered in her ears gently, and Renn knew it well.

_'A person may have different wishes and ambitions. But we must not be selfish or arrogant to think that we can realize all our dreams. To be an expert in one category, you must devote yourself, body-and-mind completely, to the profession you choose. Only this can you achieve your goal and reward to the World Spirit.'_ Finn-Kedinn said to her when she was eight or nine. Renn sighed deeply as she knew her uncle had been right. Someday she'll had to consider which way she would go, and she hoped it would never come. And it looked like it was haunting her at the moment, because Saeunn was getting weaker and weaker as the days passed. The burden of being a mage now rested on Renn's shoulders. She was the only apprentice of Saeunn, and if, just if-Saeunn died, what would become of Renn? She dared not think about her fate if she was named the new mage of the Raven Clan. Back to the forest her own people were starting to regard Renn as the next mage of the clan, and they spoke to her with increasing reverence and courtesy. And Renn hated every bit of it. _Had they consult my opinion of being a mage?_ Renn thought bitterly. And Sauenn didn't stop them while she saw the raven clan people went to ask Renn about the threat of Soul Eaters instead of asking her. This was like an approval to Renn's status as a mage, so for this Renn disliked Sauenn even more. 'What profits had becoming a mage made me?' murmured Renn, in the utter darkness of the Seal Island.

After thinking about her own question, she moved to the other's problems. An image emerged in her brain almost immediately, with black hair and russet skin, wit and humor sparkled in his big round eyes. His lips twisted to an unmistakably smile of a wolf. He was the one Renn cared the most, the one who had accompanied her for almost three years, the one whom she always trust and count on. She remembered the day when he first came into her life, in the form of a thief who tried to hunt on the other's land. Being caught together with a yearling wolf, the two were a weird pairing to Renn, but the twelve-year-old boy was especially stubborn. Nevertheless, Renn helped him to escape from her severe uncle, and in that way their friendship bloomed. She remembered when they were searching the evil bear, he used his incredible tracking skill to find out his prey; Renn had given it a deadly kill by shooting her last arrow in her quiver to the bear. She remembered how he risked his life to destroy the Tokoroth, and how he treated Wolf as a brother. She remembered the days when he was still an outcast, and all the clans were determined to kill him, but he refused to give up so easily and he learnt to run and hide, to start a fire without smoke and to make false trails. She remembered when his souls were sick, she sent Rip and Rek to cure him. When she claimed there would be a flood caused by the twin lakes, he was the first one who believed her. Whenever there was Torak, Renn felt safe, peaceful and comfortable. She enjoyed his accompany, and deep inside her heart, she knew that they both understood the other's thoughts completely. He was her closest and only friend in this world, and they needed each other. Unfortunately, Torak wasn't a normal person, and that changed everything. He was originally a Wolf Clan member, but later he turned clanless because he was a Spirit Walker. The people became frightened and panicked, and some even discriminated him. That was not a pleasant thing indeed. And from the day he was born, the World Spirit had given him a task, an almost impossible task to accomplish: kill the Soul Eaters. How would Torak feel if murdering somebody was his life's goal? In Renn's eyes, the Torak she saw was frustrated and miserable, sullener than before. He knew he had to do it, but everytime it caused injuries and sadness. His journey was filled with variables, and even a single mistake could lead to a total disaster. That was what made him so careful and worried. The Soul Eaters were not to be underestimated, and he had to think a lot before taking actions. Renn thought Torak was not only battling against the Soul Eaters, but also battling against himself. This was a matter of his stamina, speed and intelligence, and he looked tired when he tried to come up with a plan or something to fight against the Soul Eaters. Renn attempted to help him, but he seemed to have secrets and even Renn, his loyal partner, could not share his burden. In fact, if Torak had secrets, so did Renn.

Renn sighed deeply and lay back on the surface of sand. The mysterious moon stared upon her, the night gently covered her like a scarf, the wind howled a song of ocean as it brought back the distant smell of the North icy sea. _Ocean, ocean,_ it sang, _she never faded or diminished though there was sunshine, she never grew tired or bored though she hatched big waves and tides. Mother Ocean was one individual, though split apart by land, but it shall flowed back together in one, and reunited with her own people. _After staying on the Seal Island for more than two weeks, she adapted to the environment gradually. In fact, amid hearing the seagull's calling, canoeing on the calm blue surface of sea and eating special meals concocted by halibuts and shrimps, Renn started to _like_ this place. She had never thought about this possibility of loving the sealife on the island, but it seemed that she had been wrong. Although she missed the sight of forests, she found it relunctant to make an excuse to go back to her own place. From the year she was born, Renn had stayed in the open forest for most of her life time, so living on the Seal Island was like a whole new change for her, which was pretty good after soaking in the woodsy scent of trees for exactly 14 summers. In the past she lived in the world made up of green: the forests spread endlessly toward every corner of the earth, the willows, oaks and pine trees were all Renn knew about. But here she lived in a blue fantasy, where the great ocean extended as far and wide as the jungles, just like a beautiful piece of sapphire lay on the land. Complemented with the blue sky, it was a symphony of blue on the Seal Island, utterly different from the life in forests. Green and blue, two colours of nature which the former represents the homeland of Renn, and the latter a new paradise of marine amazements, waiting for Renn to discover. But thinking of her love for the Seal Island, she felt a slight hint of betrayal deep inside her heart. She seemed to betray the forest, her birthplace which she would never forget. Of course her preference for the ocean was temporary, right? Renn tried very hard to persuade herself that the jungles deserved for her permenant love and respect. But now, sitting on the coast of the island, all persuasions went useless instantly. 'What's wrong with me?' Renn prompted herself. She had once wanted to become a traveller, to explore the beauty and miracles of this fantastic world, but every clan had its geographical limitations. For instance, a Forest Horse couldn't survive in the freezing North, and a Mountain Hare couldn't live in land with low altitude. For Renn, a Raven couldn't go freely in the ocean, because it belonged to the forest. _Forest. _

Suddenly her heart gave a loud 'bang'. Thinking of forest, she recalled the previous memory of the fire breaker. Everyone else knew who was he-to speak more accurately, everyone else except the Seal Clan people. It was clearly Thazzi's work-stirred up incidents between people was his first prowess. But what bothered Renn was the reason behind this ruthless action. 'Think like him,' Renn muttered to herself, 'think like Thazzi so you can find out anything.' Now that Seshru had died, Thazzi and Eostra were the ones left. He knew he had to be faster than Eostra, and no wonder his prime target was the Fire Opal on the Seal Island. The one controlling the magical crystal would be king. Thazzi was clever enough, he knew he needed chaos to distract people's attention, but Renn had never thought of him starting a fire. Remember here was coastal areas, and the probability of lighting up even a spark was as low as that of picking down the moon. But indeed his element of surprise had worked, the whole clan didn't notice the fire at first. 'He must have been on the altar uphill when everybody is splashing water to kill the fire,' Renn figured it out. After gaining what he needed, he slipped away before the people turned conscious and suspicious, leaving no trails behind. But burning down the Seal camp wouldn't do him any good, of course the Seal Clan people would go after him...'No, no. Something is weird.' Renn murmured to herself. Why did he set fire to the tents only? Why didn't he kill somebody instead? It would be easier than starting a fire. So the purpose behind this action was not killing, he simply started a fire and left as if nothing had happened. Sooner or later would the Seal Clan warriors formed a team to hunt for Thazzi, but...suddenly a thought bumped into Renn's brain. The fire had not only been a distraction to the clan, but it left injuries and damage of properties behind, so they _slowed down_ the hunting of Thazzi because there were weapons missing. Now the whole clan was cloaked in horror and sadness, everything had not settled down. Although Bale and his kinsmen were willing to kill Thazzi and defend the honor of their clan, they couldn't go because of the shortage of weapons and food. That had made time for Thazzi to go further away and disappeared to where he was the most powerful-the deep forest. Renn had knew this earlier this day when she predicted where Thazzi had gone from the flames. 'Yes...he do this so to dismember the clan and break the harmony and unity of them,' Renn concluded, her teeth clattering because of both fury and coldness. 'He must have felt delighted to see the weak and vulnerable people suffered from pain. The fire has fulfilled his twin wishes: to dismember the Clan and slow down their rhythem, and to let them suffer and drown in misery.' Renn's fists clenched as she finally figured out what was happening. The tiredness crept onto her body, and she planned to go back to the shelter. But she kept tripping over stones and pebbles since the moon was covered by the clouds and there was no light left. Plus she was too angry and furious to walk properly, and after felling for the fourth time, she gave up. Something warm was flowing out from her wrist. She must had cut herself accidentally. The wrath had faded gradually, and it turned to sorrow and great grief which made Renn cried. She cried quietly and buried her head in between her knees. She had never felt so tiny and useless before, and she had not cried for years, but now the continuous disasters happening on the island had push her to the breaking point. She cried in front of the Raven Clan Mage the night when she vowed to forget Torak and his missions, and she wept for the entire Seal Clan, for the miserable fate of herself and for the cruelty Thazzi performed tonight. All this time she had experienced endless misfortunes in her life, but she had made it every time. But this time she could not. In fact she didn't have energy to defend herself now, after witnessing countless deaths and injuries today. She could have been stronger and control her emotions, but she had used up all her power virtually. After all, she was just a 14-year-old. _It's not fair, _Renn thought while biting her lips, _why did people expect so much on me? Why must I become a mage?_ _Why did they think that I can tackle these things on my own? _She started to understand Torak's feeling, that the world was filled with injustice: he was forced to become a murderer, although the people he was killing had done all the bad things on the world; she was forced to become someone that people _expected_ her to be, but not the one that she _wanted_ to be. She felt sick. Her knees trembled, her tears streamed down her face uncontrollably, her heart ached and bled. Renn wanted to scream, to shout out her troubles and problems and pass out, but she literally couldn't.

After what seemed like a thousand years time, Renn heard footsteps, becoming louder and louder. At least she picked up her courage to trudge forward one step or two to have a clearer sight, and the intruder was holding a torch or something. Renn's internal alarm rang. She took out her dagger which was hidden in her fur boots, but before she could make further movements, the intruder said in a barely discernible volume, 'Who's there? Is that Renn?' he trotted forward and saw Renn standing alone on the beach, gripping a dagger. She looked ferocious and aggressive indeed.

But after recognising who he was, she relaxed and knelt down on the sand again. 'Hey, Bale. What makes you here?'

Bale chuckled and sat beside the red-head-raven girl. 'Why are you here, then? Guess we both cannot sleep properly.' Bale said. They were silent. Renn was so happy that someone eventually appeared to have the same feeling that she had, and she felt more protected and safe with Bale's accompany. She gazed at the shining stars above, so remote from the stir of society and so unreachable.

'We have legends about the stars, you know,' Renn spoke up, 'most of them are comedies. How I wish to be in one of them! Living forever high in the sky without worrying about all these mess...' life in those myths seemed to be perfect and carefree, totally different from the reality.

'Yeah, sometimes stories are tempting, but legends are just legends. They are crafted to perfection to make us realize the cruelty of the real world. And believe me, my ancestor's story is really ridiculous.' Bale replied. Renn raised her eyebrows, questioning. 'Our predecessor, the King of Seal, had once dived deeply into the sea, deep enough to reach the sea bed. But unfortunately he didn't float up again, instead while he was sinking to the bottom of the ocean, a great piece of land bumped out suddenly in the exactly shape of a seal. So that's how our precious Seal Island was born out of nothing at all, except the quirky choking death of our most honorable ancestor.' Bale finished, satisfied with his presentation.

Renn burst into bits of laughters immediately, her muscles on the face were starting to ache since she laughed too hard. 'You...mean...the seal actually _drowned_? I mean...isn't he a god or something? By the way, a normal seal shouldn't drown either.' said Renn.

'Yeah, this is the point that makes it funny. Think that the cold sea water must have become the graveyard of our ancestor.' Bale grinned. In fact he was trying desperately to hide his feelings toward the girl sitting in front of him, less than a forearm's distance. He had prayed for thousands of time that the Guardians could give him a chance to declare his words to Renn, and now the moment had come. So why did he feel such dread? He frowned. Was it because of the fire? He had been busy all day long, arranging temporary cabins for everyone, searching the lost weapons and making a list of missing properties, checking the altar uphill and the snares set in the shallow water in the bay. He had just managed to sneak out of his tent because he was too worried to sleep. Being the clan leader-to-be, he knew he had big responsibility to afford. Right now he couldn't take his eyes off of Renn, who looked amazingly beautiful yet frigid in the moonlight, resembling a graceful deity. He cleared his throat and took a deep breath before he spoke. For the first time, he let his heart spoke for him, fully revealing his thoughts to somebody.

'Don't you think the Seal Island is a wonderful place, Renn?' he began, staring at the ocean instead of Renn. His voice was gentle and comfortable, his mind was happy and relieved.

'Of course, I like this lovely isle,' Renn replied undoubtly, her words flowed out of her mouth so naturally and her lips twisted into a genuine smile automatically. 'On Seal island I feel...free and easy, because I have left my worries behind, in the forest. Only in here can I enjoy myself, enjoy _life _itself as I stroll along the coast and collect marvelous seashells, row the skin boat on the sea surface with a speed comparable to flying, play tricks with seagulls and admire the amazing view of sunset as the sparkling red and the peaceful blue blend together. It's like a spiritual vacation, that my mind has finally allowed to rest even just for a couple of weeks, and every day I wake up and find the sea roaring and the sun shining, I feel life itself has come upon me. I feel as if living in a real dream, a dream of blue, and I'll never get old for dreams, you know. That's why I love the Seal Island. At first I think for a forest girl like me, it's impossible to fall in love with the ocean, but as far as I can tell, I have been wrong enough.' Renn said queitly. Bale shivered in joy; he didn't expect an answer from Renn like this, he even became to wonder whether she was lying or not.

But Renn gave a bitter laugh and continued, 'although that is the case, there's never a day when my heart stop missing the green forests. No matter how I love the dolphins, seals and whales here, the image of willow, mistletoe, shrubbery and those beautiful flowering plant with fresh fragrance has imprinted on my mind. I love the salty scent of ocean, but I know life in the forest best suits me. I _just_ know it. I like smoked elk, mushrooms and pigeons, I like wandering between the trees and chase the herd of sheep, I like every bit of forest. It's cruel to say that, but surely my heart yearns for forest more than the ocean.' Renn finished with a sigh. Surely she loved forest...more?

Bale looked like he had gulped down a few flasks of vinegar. The little hope that had just roused from his heart died again, like short-lived fireworks. He should've known it. He should've known that, no matter how hard he tried to persuade Renn, to tempt her to stay on the Seal Island, he would never succeed. Renn's loyalty towards her home would eventually overcome the newfound joy she had on the island, and...what chance did he stand when it came to Torak and Renn? He had sensed the chemical between the two long before they themselves realized it; they seemed determined to be together. _Raven should be with Wolf, not Seal,_ Bale thought bitterly. Nevertheless, Bale was a true Seal to the core: seals didn't give up easily. Although he knew that the battle was lost already, he wouldn't let his chance to slip away; he wouldn't acknowledge his defeat without having a go first.

'I know you will say that,' muttered Bale, more to himself than to Renn, 'if the situation is reversed, I will choose Seal Island rather than the Forest.' He grasped a handful of sand, and watched it spilled out of his fist gradually. His heart was giving a symphony of mixed emotions: happy, sad, peaceful and slightly disappointed. But mostly it was bittersweet. A bittersweet lullaby. With a shiver, he began again.

'When I met you two years ago, I thought you were nothing more than a rude and reckless, brave yet frigid redhead Raven girl,' Bale said, 'but things had changed a lot after Torak was outcasted.' He recalled the memory of Renn, seeking his help for the sake of saving Torak. They had travelled in secrecy, fearing their trails would arouse the clans' attention and rage; they had faced the mysterious Otter Clan twin Mages together, they had journeyed through the rough seas and storms to reach the sick Torak on the swamp. They had gone through so many things in the past few months; and in Bale's heart, that was all that mattered in this moment. 'The division between land and sea no longer exists; Torak comes back as a brand new son of all clans.' He continued, addressing the moonbeam reflected by the calm ocean surface. 'And you, Renn, you have grown into something more than a rude and reckless, brave yet frigid redhead Raven girl: you're a mature, quick-thinking and wise young woman now.' He turned his gaze to look at Renn; he couldn't judge her reaction in this darkness, but she seemed relatively astonished, though remained still in her position.

Bale smiled to himself. 'I've always wanted you to know, that I treat you like a sister, a sister so good and caring, so thoughtful and lovable.'

'And I've always wanted you to know, Bale, that you are an excellent big brother to me, so bold and long-sighted, so courageous and responsible.' Renn replied silently. Somehow, she could predict what would happen next.

Bale swallowed back the hot liquid that was prickling his eyes. 'I am glad you say that...Renn...and I think, just for a fraction of a second, that after the hunt of the Viper Soul Eater, that after we experienced so many things together...I think that, though how very mindless and wishful it seems: you have finally, _finally _grown into something that is _more_ than a mere sister to me.' The last phrase came as a whisper, even softer than the softest murmur, and Bale was not sure whether Renn could catch it; but it didn't matter anymore. He had spoken what he should've spoken years ago. And then he braced himself for the upcoming sorrow that would swell in his ribs and stomach, for he knew what would Renn say next. No matter what she said, it would most likely shatter his pointless dreaming and longing, and break his heart into a million pieces. Something boiling hot had slithered down his cheek again like streams of despair and grief, but Bale bet she couldn't see them. He heard Renn drew a deep breath before she spoke, and her voice seemed distant and...unreachable.

'Bale...I don't know what to...I...' Her lips moved, but she just couldn't find the words. A strange, sinking and twisting feeling started inside her heart; she felt hollow, unprotected, frail. The world might have just doomed before her eyes, but she couldn't feel it. She couldn't feel a thing; not even the wind roaring, the sand shifting or the raindrops dripping. _I think that, though how very mindless and wishful it seems: you have finally, finally grown into something that is more than a mere sister to me._ She hated herself for what she was going to say, because it would destroy him, it would blow out the weak little flame of hope that kept him warm and still; it would torture both of them, and their spirits would scream in agony and great sadness. It would haunt them forever, but she had to make it clear to Bale. If she didn't, Bale would be in even more pain dangling on this relationship. Yet her body wouldn't cooperate. The muscles refused to move while the soul was tearing itself apart.

'I...think...you...know,' she breathed, tears rolling down her cheeks as they splashed on the sand.

Bale shuddered, struggling to pull himself together, and fighting the urge to sprint back into the camp and rip everything he could reach to shreds and pieces. 'You're like the sand on this beach, Renn,' his deep voice flowed out of his mouth, surprisingly smooth and rather calm. He grasped a handful of sand again and said, 'fine and gentle and soft...but slips away easily. Something, _someone_, that you can't have.' He unclenched his fist and released the sand. Renn was already soaked in tears, as Bale fumbled to reach his pocket and pulled out what seemed to be a cork. An invitation originally...all the young 15-year-old or above Seal boys gave it to the girls they loved, as a promise that he was ready to protect, to love her...forever. Although Bale knew what the result would be, he still handed it to Renn, and stuffed it into her shivering palm.

'Keep it for me, would you? A gift.' Renn stared at the object through watery eyes: a cork with a few golden hairs entwined on it. She gasped and looked at Bale: though broken his heart must be, he forced a small smile on his face, with that bittersweet expression. This was too much for a gift: he devoted part of his soul to Renn's hands, a girl who would never repay his love. After all, he still trust her, and although there would be nothing happened between the two, he was willing to sacrifice some part of him, as a confession for his love towards her. Renn summoned all her will power to speak.

'Bale, I-'

'You don't need to explain,' He interrupted her softly, standing up at the same time. 'I understand, I know it.' He turned to leave, but he hesitated for a moment before adding, 'You just need to know...that somebody had once laid his love on a girl, a girl he can never truly have.' Renn was close to tears again.

Bale's throat was dry. 'You just need to know that.'

And he turned, disappearing into the utter darkness.

_So, there you go! Another chapter about Bale and Renn. I've always wanted to speak up for Bale, for his forbidden and fruitless love towards Renn, and this bittersweet feeling always seems positively intriguing to me. I don't know whether this chapter looks cliche or not, but that is my interpretation of the Bale/Renn issue. Like it? Hate it? Feel free to comment and review, please! Thanks for reading:)  
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